Jake (15 page)

Eyes narrowed, she glanced at Zach. “Is that a compliment?”

Zach grinned at her. “The best.”

Smiling, she turned to Liam. “Thank you.”

“You won’t be thanking me when he wakes up. You could make him some willow bark tea.”

“Willow bark tea,” she said the same time as Liam.

They laughed.

“Hey, what’re you laughing at?” slurred Jake. “I’m in pain here and you’re laughing.

Zach, Liam and Becky looked at each other and laughed more. Jake was going to be fine.

CHAPTER 11

Jake wasn’t fine. He started running a fever that night. Becky rubbed him down with the frigid water from the creek trying to bring his temperature down. The icy cloths seemed to help a little. He was more comfortable but the fever wasn’t breaking.

She made him the willow bark tea that she’d brought with her. Billy wouldn’t have known what to do with it anyway and would’ve thrown it away. Now she was very glad she’d brought it.

Becky wished she was a better cook. She could make him some beef broth to help him keep his strength up. As it was, she took the soup from the beans, added some water to thin it out and spoon-fed Jake as much as he would take.

Becky worried about the two men Jake had seen with Billy. She stayed up that first night with her gun drawn, just in case they came back. She wasn’t going to take a chance that they might hurt Jake again. She knew they wouldn’t hurt her. She wasn’t any use to Billy if she was hurt or dead. Jake was a different matter. Billy would just as soon see Jake dead, then he could go ahead with his plans to sell her to Edgar Winters.

At daybreak she rose from her stool just inside the tent opening, where she could keep an eye on Jake and one on Billy’s camp. She stretched her tired, achy body and tried to get the muscles moving again. Jake hadn’t stirred all night and she was a little worried about him, but rest was the best medicine. Doc Cochran always said so.

She turned toward Billy’s camp and saw no one stirring. Glancing back downstream toward the Anderson place, she saw a lone man riding up the river toward her. He would have had to pass the Anderson camp as she and Jake were right between Billy’s camp and the Anderson one.

“What do
you
want?” She stood legs akimbo and her gun in her hand, next to the fire. When the gray haired, old man started to dismount, she stopped him. “Just stay right up there on the back of that big chestnut. Don’t get down, you won’t be stayin’ long.”

“I wanted to see why my blushing bride didn’t come to me, like her pa said she would.”

“Edgar Winters.” she kept her Colt aimed at the man.

He nodded and held the reins in his left hand while his right sat over his pistol, ready to draw. “Billy had no right to sell me. I’m married to someone else. Not that it makes a difference; you can’t buy and sell people.”

“I hear the south in your voice, girl.” He crossed his arms and leaned on the saddle horn. “What you think they did to black folks down there? Buy and sell them, like they were a piece of cotton. What do you think the War Between the States was about? Besides, who said he sold you? What makes you think I’d spend good money for you, girl?”

“The War of Northern Aggression,” said Becky in a huff, her West Virginia accent becoming more pronounced with each word, “put an end to that practice. Besides, Billy himself told me he sold me to you. But there’s nothing he can do to me anymore. You can ask Al Swearengen if I’m married or not. He was there and witnessed it.”

Edgar’s shaggy eyebrows lifted with the news. “Al was there? Guess I better believe you. That’s means your pa owes me and I’m going to take it out of his hide.”

“I believe that’s what Al was hoping you’d do. He seemed to think my getting married and putting one over on Billy was funny. I think he’s looking forward to seeing you wipe the floor with him. Might as well turn around and get back to Deadwood. There’s nothing for you here.”

Edgar cocked his head, stared at her a moment, then nodded, turned his horse and left the way he’d come.

She put her gun away and went into the tent, her heart pounding so hard she thought it might jump right out of her chest. That was too close.

Not long after Edgar left, Jake began thrashing in his sleep. Becky lay down next to him, put her arm across his chest and tried to soothe him. At her touch, he calmed, wrapped his good arm around her shoulders and drew her closer.

Jake stayed in a feverish state for two days and three nights. By the morning of the third day, his skin was cool to the touch.

“Hi,” he said when she opened her eyes. “You look like I feel. Have you gotten any sleep?”

“I got a little last night.” She sat up and felt his forehead with the inside of her wrist. “Your skin is cooler. How do you feel?”

“Like I’ve been rode hard and put away wet. My shoulder hurts like the dickens, and I’m hungry. Other than that I’m just fine.”

“Ah, a little crabby, I see.” She rose up on her elbow and started making little circles on his chest. “Well, I’ll take you as ornery as you want to be as long as you don’t die on me.”

She noticed his body’s response to her touch and couldn’t help being gratified by it. She nodded at his growing erection. “Too bad you’re too weak or we could take care of that.” She moved to rise, but he pulled her back down to him with his good arm.

“Not so fast, Missus.”

She smiled. “I like it when you call me that. It makes me feel like I belong.”

His eyes darkened and he pressed her head down toward his. “You do belong. To me,” he growled, then raised his head and claimed her lips in a kiss that scorched her soul.

~*~

Becky fixed a sling for Jake, so he’d let his shoulder rest and heal. She’d managed to keep him occupied and mostly in bed for three days but he wasn’t about to stay in bed for the whole time, and she refused to let him try to work the way he wanted to.

“Do you want to be laid up for months?” she shouted at him when he picked up the gold pan for the third time.

“No, of course, not.” He yelled back at her.

“Then do as I say and stop trying to hurt yourself.” She grabbed the pan out of his hand.

“I’ve got to do something. I can’t just sit around here lollygagging.”

“Why don’t you get dinner going? That shouldn’t have you exerting yourself, too much.”

He grumbled but nodded his assent.

Becky had an idea to keep him busy. “I’ll be right back, I’ve got to talk to Liam.”

“What do you need Liam for?”

“Never you mind. You just keep at what you’re doing.”

She walked the 200 yards around the bend in the river to the Anderson brothers’ camp. Liam was pulling on his waders. They couldn’t work the cliff with Jake laid up.

“Liam,” called Becky as she approached.

“Is something wrong with Jake?”

“No. Yes. He’s bored and threatening to go back to work. I want to borrow your children for the next few days. I’ll bring them back every night, but I want them to be with Jake during the day. If he has to watch out for Hannah, he won’t be getting bored.”

Liam laughed. “You are one devious woman.”

She cocked her head to one side. “Only when I need to be.”

Still smiling, Liam called out, “David. Hannah. Come here, please.”

The children ran to their father.

“Whatcha’ want Daddy?” said Hannah.

“Yes, sir,” said David.

“You two, pack up something to do while you keep your Uncle Jake busy. Hannah, you take your new dolly and David, take some books and your fishing pole. Maybe you can get us some trout for supper.”

“Are we supposed to be there all day?” asked David.

“Yes, until Uncle Jake can get back to normal, you kids will keep him busy. I have a feeling Hannah can do it on her own, but you need to be there to help Jake if he needs it.”

David stood straight and tall. So responsible for only ten years old. “Yes, sir. I’ll be glad to help him if he needs me to.”

“You can also fish for him and he can cook for us,” said Becky. “I’ve already told him to do the cooking, which should keep him a little busy, but any help you can give me, David, I am grateful for.”

David beamed. “Thanks.”

Becky took the kids back to camp with her. She was a little worried about Billy’s cohorts coming back, but things had been quiet for a few days, so she hoped they were done with her. If she’d read Edgar Winter right, he was going to take care of Billy, whether he killed him or not, she didn’t care anymore. Her only concern now was for Jake. He was her husband and her loyalty was to him.

It was a hard lesson she’d learned. Billy was all she’d known and she’d have probably stayed with him forever out of guilt or some childish need of wanting his love. He would never love her. She knew that now. Had known it the minute he told her he’d sold her. That was the last straw. She’d put up with everything he’d dished out and every blow he gave her, all in the hope that someday he’d tell her he loved her. Now she knew it would never happen.

But what about Jake? Would he be like Billy and never love her? Could she stand living like that for the rest of her life? She shook her head, she couldn’t think about that now. All that mattered was getting Jake well. He needed another week at least before he could even think about working the river and it would be several weeks before he’d be back on the cliffs.

The children followed her back to her camp. When they approached and saw Jake sitting outside the tent, Hannah ran to him.

“Uncle Jake. Uncle Jake.”

He turned toward her at her first call.

“Hannah? David?”

The kids reached him and Hannah threw herself at him.

“No, sweetie, Uncle Jake can’t catch you,” said Becky, grabbing her before she reached Jake. “He’s hurt, see?” She pointed at his sling.

“Oh,” said Hannah. “I sorry you hurt.”

“So am I, pumpkin, so am I,” said Jake, hugging her with his good arm.

“Why don’t you help her learn her letters?” suggested Becky. “David’s going to do some fishing; hopefully we’ll have trout to go with the beans for dinner. What do you think?”

“All right, I’ll do that. Hannah, we’re going to play in the dirt here by me. Find a stick that we can write in the dirt with.”

She shoved her new doll at him. “Will you watch my baby for me? Pease?”

He took the doll with his good hand. “Uh, I guess so.”

Becky watched and had to cover her mouth with her hand so Jake wouldn’t see her smile. She could tell, the little girl had him, heck had all three of the men, wrapped around her little finger.

Hannah came back in a few minutes with a long, thin stick.

“That’s a good one,” praised Jake. “Now come and let’s work on you letters. You’ll be reading in no time.”

Becky finished putting on her waders, content that Jake and Hannah would be busy for some time. She wouldn’t be surprised if Hannah was reading by the end of the week. No one had had much time to spend with her since they’d been in Deadwood, all of the men working the gold claim as much as they could, both the river and now that they’d found gold on the cliff, working that as well.

Hannah gloried in being with her Uncle and having all his attention. Becky thought she was the most well behaved little girl she’d ever come across. She also knew the five-year-old was lonely. It was too bad that there weren’t any children closer she could play with.

After she was sure that everyone else was busy, Becky walked down to the river and out to the middle, about one hundred feet downstream from where David fished. She scooped up a pan full of soil from the bottom and began working it like she’d always done. When about half the dirt had washed away, she saw something she couldn’t believe. There, in the bottom of the pan was a nugget, or the start of a nugget. She pulled it from the dirt, washed it off in the river and then screamed. “Jake!”

She waded as fast as she could in the fast moving water. When she reached the edge, she ran up the bank to where Jake sat with Hannah.

“Look! Look!” She held up a nugget the size of a robin’s egg.

Jake stood and took the nugget from Becky. He examined it from all sides. Bit down on it and saw that his teeth left an impression. “Pure gold.” He said giving the nugget back to Becky. “That’s going to be worth a lot of money, four or five hundred all by itself, probably more.”

Becky threw her arms around Jake’s neck and kissed him. “Can you believe it? That’s more gold than we usually get in a week’s worth of panning.”

Jake wrapped his good arm around Becky and held her tight. “I like that. Kiss me again.”

She was glad to comply and pressed her lips to his. He pulled her body close to his and she was surprised at the force with which he held her. Maybe he was healing faster than she thought. She liked that notion. Maybe he’d be strong enough soon to resume making love.

He released her lips slowly, still holding her close to his body. “Later, I’m going to teach you something new.”

“What? Tell me.”

“It’s a surprise.”

She frowned a little and then smiled brilliantly at him. “I’m looking forward to learning anything you have to teach me. Who knows maybe I’ll have a thing or two to teach you, too.”